Hiring a professional labor support person for childbirth can be financially daunting for some moms and their partners. Many are simply surprised at the cost of raising a family in modern times and an extra fee seems frivolous.
Mothers that have used a doula often praise the value of their birth partner, exclaiming that they would have gladly paid double for the services rendered. There are ways to hire a birth coach on any size budget.
Getting Family to Help Cover Doula Services
While the mother in law may be itching to attend the birth of her first grandbaby it isn’t ideal for most couples. A creative way to budget for a doula is to get financial help from loved ones. The expecting couple can ask parents, grandparents or siblings to help pitch in to hire a birth doula. Since women remember their birth experiences well into their advanced years this may be a more memorable gift than a bassinet that the baby will outgrow within a few weeks.
Birth Doula Services as a Shower Gift
This is a very creative way of funding a doula’s services. Friends and loved ones can be encouraged to give the expecting couple the gift of compassionate labor support. In fact, some doulas offer a gift registry and accept payments towards the contract they have with a couple. Others are happy to suggest online programs such as eWish.com that allows the couple to handle the registry directly and later pay the doula.
Another option is gift certificates, available in various denominations issued by the doula directly. The birth coach would keep track of the totals in gift certificates purchased and would stop issuing certificates should the total cost of services be reached through gift giving.
At the baby shower the hostess could collect cash gifts on behalf of the couple specifically for the hiring of a doula. A piggy bank or bird cage could be utilized with special signage and guests can drop checks or cash in to go towards “the doula fund.”
Sliding Scale Doula Services
Low income families can seek out a birth doula that provides services on a sliding scale. It is not uncommon for a fixed income or low income household to inquire if a doula will work from a sliding scale. This is especially helpful if a partner has recently lost employment or if the expecting couple is facing financial hardship.
Volunteer and Reduced Fee Doulas
Recently trained doulas that have little to no experience may make themselves available to attend a birth to practice their skills and training. It is customary to pay the doula a small fee to cover travel and parking expenses, and sometimes more if the couple can afford it.
Special populations, such as teen moms and military families, are often targeted by doula groups for volunteer or low cost services. One program is Operation Special Delivery where birth doulas volunteer themselves to military families who will have no support from a partner or family member during their birth.
Other programs include grant funded doula services like Chicago’s Ounce of Prevention that offer support to teenaged mothers.
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